====== ISCI 360: Systems Approaches to Regional Sustainability ======

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Dept-Code    : ISCI
Course-Num   : 360
Credits_     : 3 Science
Core-ISCI    : yes
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Term         : Winter Term 2
Prereqs_     : 3rd Year Science standing
Coreqs_      : none
Active       : yes
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====== Faculty ======

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====== Description ======

{{ :courses:isci360:sustainability.jpg?nolink&350|}}//What does sustainability Mean? How can science contribute to understanding global sustainability challenges, and finding solutions? What other factors must scientists consider when tackling sustainability problems?//

Contemporary scientists agree that solutions to complex global challenges such as environmental sustainability calls for “systems thinking”: the process of understanding how component elements influence each other within a whole. Systems thinking as an approach to problem-solving argues that the component parts of a system can best be understood in the context of relationships with each other and with other systems, rather than in isolation.
 
A scientific approach to examining our planet that embraces systems thinking therefore demands that we consider landscapes, regions or whole continents as systems. In these systems, elements such as land, air, water, climate, plants, animals, and even human societies interact in ways that influence the likelihood that the system will survive or perish.

ISCI 360 is a broad-raching interdisciplinary science course designed to challenge you to draw together knowledge and learning from a range of scientific disciplines and to pursue a systems thinking approach in the investigation of sustainability. This approach is based on the argument that **to understand sustainability, we also need to understand //unsustainability//**. Any region of the world needs to be understood as an integrated system before we can understand what will happen when that system is perturbed. ISCI 360 therefore considers input from multiple scientific (and some social science) disciplines to try to answer questions such as: How does the underlying geology of a region affect water systems? How do water systems affect nutrient cycling, and thus marine and terrestrial ecosystems? How do hydrological and atmospheric systems interact? How is human activity affecting global climate? What kinds of feedback exist between climate and cryosphere (the frozen components of the earth system)? How has this affected food availability and security, and thus human settlement? The intention is to focus on the broad connections and interconnections, rather than studying any one component in depth.

{{:courses:isci360:ess.jpg?nolink&250 |}} ISCI 360 combines 1.5-2.0 hours of weekly class time, weekly pre- or post-class reading and/or viewing, and participation in required online discussions. Disciplinary experts from across UBC and the Lower Mainland lead an in-class session each week, which will introduce and review general principles of each system component (for example, hydrology), offering examples from selected relevant global locations. The course instructor(s) will coordinate guest speakers and will also facilitate student understanding of the connectedness of the various topics under study. To this end, the instructor(s) will lecture on selected topics, and will also lead and facilitate weekly online discussion and learning activities.

ISCI 360 may be completed as a standalone course, and is also a recommended precursor to //[[http://www.students.ubc.ca/global/learning-abroad/group-study-programs/science-systems-and-sustainability-iceland/| ISCI 361, Field Course, A Systems Approach to Regional Sustainability]]// that will pursue and deepen the systems thinking approach by facilitating application of systems thinking to a case study region of the world. This course should be of interest to science students in any of the disciplines; indeed maximizing diversity of student participation will maximize the richness of in-class and online discussions.

==Syllabus and speakers==
Selection of sub-topics and guest speakers may vary from year to year. But {{:courses:isci360:syllabus.pdf|download this 2013 Syllabus draft}} for an idea of course readings, videos and speakers.

==Learning Objectives==
After completing ISCI 360, you should be able to:

  * Describe the 'three dimensions' model of sustainability, and its relevance as a framework with which to analyze and address global problems.
  * Discuss the ways that science and earth systems science can and should contribute to the promotion of global sustainability.
  * Describe the principles of systems thinking, and explain its importance as an approach to thinking about complex global problems.
  * Understand the fundamental connectedness of geological, hydrological, ecological, atmospheric and human systems, and the contributions of different scientific disciplines to their study.
  * Outline the connected factors that have influenced evolution of example regional systems.

==Assessment and grading==
The overarching goal of ISCI 360 is not that you acquire in-depth knowledge in a single area, but rather that you become more adept at recognizing and understanding connections within global and regional systems. The assessments in this course are designed to help you realize this learning outcome by promoting regular systems thinking about selected example systems.

In ISCI 360, **weekly (graded) online discussions** (24% of final grade) will promote continued debate and analysis of the connectivity between system components and thinking about challenges the system may face. **A longer research essay** (26% of final grade) will allow you to pursue a topic of your choice in greater depth, but within the system context. The **final exam** (50% of final grade) allows you to focus on a selection of course topics and answer a number of required and optional short-written-answer questions.
